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Author Notes: My husband, Harry, doesn’t cook. When I met him, he was subsisting on frozen stir-fry dinners. The occasional egg. Jarred spaghetti sauce. Canned soup and vegetables. (His Food52 handle is eateronly. Seriously.) When we married and hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner, he insisted on being in charge of the turkey. I was skeptical. But ours is a second marriage, and the currency of second marriages is generosity and acceptance. What the hell. Make the turkey.

Imagine my surprise when that turkey was delicious. Moist and flavorful. With one of the best gravies I had ever had. Over the years (14 now), we’ve tinkered a little. I bought good paprika. Added the sherry to the gravy. But really, this is his technique, and his recipe.

In this recipe, the turkey is as much a part of the gravy as the rest of the components so I’ve included his technique for seasoning the turkey. He prefers a stuffed turkey—makes a bread stuffing, but you can use whatever stuffing you prefer—and uses oil instead of butter because his family kept kosher, and therefore did not mix dairy and meat. The Yiddish word for the little brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan is gribenes, and he calls a roux an einbrun. All measurements are approximate and really depend on the size of the turkey.

Last year did not use a kosher turkey so I dry brined it a la the judy bird http://food52.com/recipes/15069_russ_parsons_drybrined_turkey_aka_the_judy_bird, and it was fabulous.
—drbabs

Food52 Review: The method of pan-roasting this hearty onion gravy is what makes it a stunner. As the turkey rests, drbabs brilliantly instructs us to deepen the flavors of the gravy in the roasting pan, along with a welcome dose of sherry. It's the kind of technique we wish we thought of long ago! Feel free to strain the onions out, but we like it served "chunky", the onions adding satisfying texture to the Thanksgiving plate. - Maddy —The Editors

Makes enough for thanksgiving turkey and stuffing

Turkey

1 kosher turkey, rinsed well and dried (don't brine kosher turkeys)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1-2teaspoons onion powder

1-2teaspoons garlic powder

1-2teaspoons sweet paprika

1/2-1teaspoons kosher salt

1/2-1teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

3-4cups chopped onions

water (or chicken broth--my choice)

Preheat oven to 350. Make a paste of oil and seasonings and rub the outside and cavity of the turkey with the paste. Stuff the turkey with your favorite stuffing. Place the chopped onions in the bottom of the roasting pan, and place the turkey, breast side up, on top of the onions. Roast the turkey uncovered for 15-20 minutes. When the onions have started to brown, add just enough water (chicken broth) to cover the onions in the roasting pan. Roast the turkey, covered loosely with foil, basting periodically.

For the gravy

3tablespoons vegetable oil

3tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4cup dry sherry

About ½ hour before turkey is finished roasting, make the einbrun. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture clumps together and turns golden. It will smell nutty. Continue cooking until the mixture has a dark golden color, being careful to stir constantly so that it doesn’t burn. Set aside.

Add einbrun to the onions in the bottom of the roasting pan. Continue roasting the turkey, uncovered, until it is finished roasting (165 degrees in thigh). Remove turkey from roasting pan.

Pour sherry into pan drippings, and stir, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return roasting pan to oven and continue to roast gravy for about 15-20 minutes, until it is reduced and somewhat thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning. You can pour it into a sauce pan and let it reduce on top of the stove while the turkey rests if you prefer. Pour gravy into a pitcher and serve hot.

Drbabs--We brined the turkey breast for 36 hours--then followed your instructions, delicious
results! Left overs were yummy with the einbrun on the hot sandwiches.
Totally a do over recipe--steering clear of the splatter, the burn is healing. There is an
"upside" to a kitchen ouch, I got out of doing a pile o' dishes. ;)

What a beautiful kitchen love story, thanks for making me smile :) And maybe I'll try a little more of that generosity and acceptance in my first marriage, considering that my husband offered to take charge of the turkey this year, and I was reluctant to relinquish control...It's sometimes hard for us cooks to let go!

Just joined your site tonight and so happy to start out here with your "turkey and gravy" story. I felt as if I were in your kitchen and could smell the turkey roasting. I've used dry sherry in gravy for years and swear by it. It seems to cut that flour, fat taste and gives a slight nutty taste to it. I always remind others to buy and use DRY not sweet it really makes a difference. When I make chicken a la king I add some dry sherry to this sauce too. A little goes a long way. It is wonderful.

Welcome to Food52! I joined the site about a year ago-- because I really love to cook, learn about food and talk about food. I've found this to be a wonderful supportive online community, and it has been so much fun. And my cooking skills have improved tremendously. I hope you have fun here, too. Thanks for your nice comments.

My first thought was that Harry and I must be related. I think I've been out of NY for so long I forget that these are common Yiddish techniques, though I don't think my mother used sherry! Nice touch. You guys should do a cookbook - New Orleans meets New York!